Washington jobless rate lowest in nation

The Washington region had the lowest unemployment rate among big cities in the nation in January, even as the local unemployment rate inched up.

Unemployment rates were down in 345 metropolitan areas in January, up in 16 and unchanged in 11, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington’s January unemployment rate was 5.7 percent, up from 5.4 percent in December. Minneapolis and Oklahoma City tied for the second-lowest unemployment rate among cities with a population of 1 million or more, at 5.9 percent.

In the District itself, the jobless rate moved back above 10 percent in January, at 10.2 percent from 9.8 percent in December.